By definition, a PN junction is the interface between two regions in a semiconductor crystal which have been treated (i.e. doped) so that one region is a P-type semiconductor and the other is an N-type semiconductor; it contains a permanent dipole charge layer (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms: Sixth Edition 2003). More particularly, from a technical perspective, the P-type region includes “holes” and the N-type region includes “electrons”. In this combination, the permanent dipole charge layer (i.e. a space charge layer) is located between the regions.
As its nomenclature suggests, the space charge layer between the P-type region and the N-type region will be charged. Further, it will have a depletion width, Wd, that is initially determined by the electrical characteristics of the P-type and N-type regions, Importantly, it is known according to the plasma dispersion effect that the index of refraction of a semiconductor material will change as its free carrier concentration is changed. Therefore, the effective refractive index, n, of the PN diode will change as the depletion width Wd is changed. It happens that these changes can be induced electronically by the application of an external voltage.
It is well known that semiconductor materials exhibit a phenomenon that is known as the plasma dispersion effect. In brief, this effect is related to the density of free electron carriers in a semiconductor material. More specifically, this free electron density is determined by the concentration of “electrons” in the N-type region of a PN junction, and by the concentration of “holes” in the J-type region of the PN junction. Of particular interest for the present invention is how the plasma dispersion effect changes the index of refraction of a semiconductor material, and the affect this change will have on an optical signal as it passes through a PN junction.
Along with a consideration of PN junctions as mentioned above, the characteristics of optical waveguides are also important for the present invention. In particular, the interest here is on the nature of light beams and their interaction with an optical waveguide. First, consider a single mode light beam which has no higher order modes and exhibits only what is generally referred to as the fundamental mode. As a distinguishing feature, it is well known that unlike a multi-mode light beam which includes higher order modes, a single mode light beam will follow a straight line path through an optical waveguide. On the other hand, a higher order mode light beam (e.g. second order mode) primarily will follow a sinusoidal path which passes back and forth across a center line through the optical waveguide due to mode propagation interference.
The present invention has recognized several possibilities from the technical considerations mentioned above that lead toward the use of an optical waveguide as a reverse bias switching/modulating diode. For one, the present invention recognizes that an optical waveguide, which is made of a semiconductor material (e.g. silicon), can be “doped” to create a PN junction. Specifically, both a P-type region and an N-type region, with a space charge layer therebetween, can be manufactured as an optical waveguide to effectively create a waveguide/diode. For another, the present invention recognizes that by introducing a higher order mode optical signal (e.g. second order) into the waveguide/diode, the sinusoidal beam path of the optical signal will cause it to transit back and forth through the space charge region. By changing the external voltage, the depletion width Wd and its corresponding effective index n of the diode will change, and the beam path of the optical signal will be cumulatively changed as it passes back and forth through the space charge region in the waveguide/diode. Moreover, this change in beam path can then be effectively used to selectively direct (i.e. switch) the optical signal as an output from the waveguide/diode onto either of two output optical waveguides.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a reverse bias switching/modulating diode wherein the switching element is itself an optical waveguide. Another object of the present invention is to provide a reverse bias switching/modulating diode that effectively provides for optical switching of higher order mode optical signals. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a reverse bias switching/modulating diode that is easy to manufacture, is simple to use, and is comparatively cost effective.